Twisted Destiny
by Emily Cha
Summary: What would happen if the rule change happened earlier? What about the first night? Lives, alliances, victors. Everything could change. Multiple POV.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- Welcome to the story. It will be told from multiple POVs, one POV per chapter. This is a "What if" story. I don't own the Hunger Games. Thanks and enjoy!**

**Chapter One: Cato's POV**

Leaves crunched beneath my feet as I run towards the smoke in the distance with only one intention: to kill. All I can hope for is that the sound of the six of us doesn't scare off the prey.

"We get this one and that makes twelve," my district-mate, Clove snickers beside me.

"You got that right," I smirk. After this kill I will only have eleven more nuisances to go before I am back in the comfort of home with all the money and riches I could ever want.

We run in dead silence as we approach the victim, using the moon- and night vision goggles, as our guiding light.

My mind swirls with plans for the next target. I allowed Nikka from District 4 to take the last tribute, but not this time. This sucker is all mine.

My eyes wander to the sky in time to see the seal flash over head. Claudius Templesmith's familiar voice booms in welcome, bringing my group and I to a sudden halt.

"Congratulations on making it the entire first day!" Claudius praises, "But now I have a small proposal for the thirteen of you remaining. The tributes this year are very extraordinary and many predict this to be an excellent Games. In order to show the power of the Capitol, we have devised a small rule change for this year's Games."

A sense of shock spreads through my body.

"Rule change? What rules are there?" That boy, Peeta laughs nervously, voicing everyone's thoughts. I shoot him a look as if to say, "shut up." I want to hear everything about this change and besides, I have never been fond of that…loverboy. If I had my choice, his face would have already been shown in the sky, but the others convinced me that keeping him around was our best shot at finding that good for nothing district-mate of his. It still kills me to not know how she got that stupid eleven. The only tribute in these Games that deserves an eleven is me and I am ready to prove it.

"This year," Templesmith continues, "there can be two victors. But only if those particular two are from the same District."

He pauses, knowing we aren't all understanding, and then repeats the news. By the time it sinks in I have my hand tightly gripped around my spear, eyes fixed on Peeta, anticipating him to run and look for his girlfriend. He doesn't though, to my disappointment. He just stands in shocked silence, staring aimlessly at the now empty sky.

Only then do I realize that the smoke is gone and our prey must have escaped.

**Shorter chapters= faster updates. What do you think so far? Press the pretty little button below and tell me! (:**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Derri's POV**

My lungs plead desperately for air as I run through the thick mess of trees. Claudius Templesmith's latest announcement pounds loudly in my ears, keeping me moving. My district-mate, Goss is already gone, leaving the burden of keeping District 8 in the Games to me. I am alone, with no ally to keep me company and help me win. Of course, even if Goss was alive, company would not be the word I would use for his presence. Annoyance is more like it. I could barely stand to be within ten feet of the boy. The only loss is the fact that he can fight while I can not.

I slow down briefly, allowing my body a quick, well-earned rest. Hopelessness settles in my heaving chest. The reality of my situation is more than clear. I have no chance of winning against any of these people! They are all strong, and probably armed. I am nothing to them but a weak, unarmed seventeen year old who could only manage to score a five in training for my lame herb knowledge and knot tying. Being one of the oldest, yet weakest is a big burden to carry.

The only thing that has the slightest chance of keeping me going is Nevon. Even now I can see him smiling, promising I will come home safely, telling me that when I do he will marry me in an instant. The thoughts are enough to make my eyes water. So much for that dream now. At this rate I won't last till daylight. I was so stupid, lighting that fire, falling asleep. If it weren't for the rule change announcement waking me up I could be in a body bag already at the Capitol.

I had let the cold get to me, slow me down. But not anymore. I have to be strong. I _need_ to get home again. I will get home again. Whatever I have to do I will do it. I may be alone, but that only makes me less of a target. If I can use my weakness as an advantage, I just might be able to pull this off.

_No more stupid mistakes_, I promise myself. Wiping the threatening tears from my eyes, I turn and run deeper in to the ominous night forest.

**There you have it, chapter two! Want more Derri? Read her original death scene in my one-shot, Firelight.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Katniss' POV**

A mixture of shock and desperate excitement settles in my bones. Peeta and I could both win, go home! I wouldn't have to kill the baker's son after all.

It takes all my strength to restrain from shouting out his name. The only thing keeping me in this tree is the combination of the belt strapping me to the tree I'm in and the sense of pure exhaustion that floods through out my body. Now that the fire starter seems to have fled, I can finally rest before daybreak.

I close my eyes and wait for sleep. Not even a minute passes before the obvious sound of footsteps nearing turns my body to ice.

I re-open my eyes slowly, as if any fast movements would result with a spear in my chest. I slowly shift my position to look around, not even daring to breathe.

A group of shadows emerge from the direction of where the fire had been, stopping directly beneath my tree. My heart pounds loudly in my chest and I fear if it gets any louder the group beneath me will hear. Between the beats I can make out soft murmurs.

"What will we do now?" a voice, obviously female's whispers.

"…still an alliance?" another voice, this one male's, asks.

Murmurs of agreement arise from the crowd. I strain to see better through the night camouflage. From what I can see there are six people, probably the careers. If only I had that bow from the cornucopia…they would already be gone by now.

"Depends," another boy says, not even bothering to whisper, " we all have our district-mates, cept Nikka whose is dead and ol' Loverboy here. I'm sure he is just itching to go find his little girly-friend, aren't you Loverboy?"

The group quiets to a haunting silence that sends a shiver up my spine. Finally a voice speaks up.

"No. She'll be fine by herself. I allied with you five and that's who I'm staying with."

If it weren't for the belt strapping me to the tree, I would fall out. The voice belongs to Peeta Mellark.

**I was nervous writing Katniss' POV. What do you think? Reviews are much appreciated! (;**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Holly "Foxface's" POV**

Grabbing my pouch and empty water bottle I managed to savage from the cornucopia, I slide down the side of the oak I was in. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I break out in to a run. The sun should be coming up soon and the careers should be heading back to their camp. I have to beat them to it.

Making it to the clearing takes no time. Luckily I had made camp right on the edge of the forest, one of the least expected places for a tribute to hide on the first day. The careers passed by without even noticing my existence. With a smug smile plastered on my face, I run down the edge of the forest determined to make it to the lake as soon as possible.

I don't dare to stop for a single breath. The sun is rising slowly in the distance, sending light dancing on the surface of the lake. Only one thing disturbed the view of the lake: a large pile of supplies rising from the ground. Without thinking, I allow myself to laugh out loud. Are they stupid? The pile is practically screaming for someone to prance over and rob it. Of course, the careers probably figured that every surviving tribute would be glued to their hiding spots, or maybe looking for their district-mates, not robbing their camp, at least not this early in the Game.

I stop briefly, scanning the career camp from the distance. After about a minute of silence and no movement, I determine it is safe and make a break for it. Being in the open makes me feel a little uncomfortable, as if someone were watching me. I brush the feeling away as soon as it arrives. _No one is watching you, Holly, you checked! The coast is clear_, I assure myself and continue running.

Normally I wouldn't even try to steal something. I figure it is too risky in District 5, especially with the punishment being a stern whipping, or even death. But, being here I guess everything changes. In school my teacher would talk about how people change when they no longer have any rules to follow. I think I finally understand what she was talking about. As I approach the career camp, greed washes over me. They have everything: food, shelter, sleeping bags, everything. I want to just take it all and run off, but I know I can't. It's too risky. I can only take what they won't notice is gone.

Rummaging through the pile is harder than planned. It's really unorganized and hard to find barely anything. I stumble across a good sized pile of protein bars and take about five of them, cramming them in my small waist pouch. My eyes scan the pile in search of a good weapon. I'm not really in to killing, but if I plan on making it out of the Games alive, I am going to need a weapon for protection. I only wish that my district-mate, Dune was still alive. It hurt so much to see his face projected in to the sky last night. He was a good kid.

I shake my head of the memories, determined to continue my mission with no distractions. It's already daybreak, so the careers should be on their way here by now. I run down to the edge of the lake and fill my water bottle. I've done it. I've officially broken in to the careers' camp on the second day. I turn and run back to the woods for cover.

The sound of a twig snapping sends me ducking behind a near by bush. Are the careers back? I shift my position, peering carefully through the holes in the leaves of the bush.

_Crunch!_ The noise sounds again. It is loud, but not loud enough to belong to a crowd of careers. Where did it…? Feet step past my hiding spot, sending me slamming against the forest floor in fear. The footsteps halt with a jerk as the person stops walking.

I hold my breath, desperately daring the figure to walk away, to leave me alone. Was this the end? Would they find me? My questions are answered as the steps start again, heading in to the forest to my right.

I lay still, not daring to move until the only sounds left are the songs of the mocking jays and my heavy breathing. Shakily, I allow myself to rise to my feet. I steer to the left, making my way back to my tree on the edge of the forest. I don't allow myself to look back, in fear that whoever had just been around would return. My adrenaline pumps wildly, my feet moving almost as fast as my speeding heart.

The sight of my tree in the distance is enough for relief to settle in. I slump against the trunk in exhaustion, taking long sips of water in attempt to cool myself down.

I've never, not once witnessed an un-armed tribute successfully break in to the career camp on the second day. Whoever said strength beats out intelligence is horribly wrong. The grin on my face is so massive it feels as if it will freeze there.

**Holly's back! For any of my "Nightlock" fans, this chapter is dedicated to you! (: What do you all think? Reviews are much appreciated!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Clove's POV**

I struggle to keep pace with Cato, who is tearing through the forest at enormous speed. It feels like I am sprinting just to keep pace with him when all he is doing is a fast jog. The guy is a serious monster. I'm lucky we are now considered a team, that way he might refrain from trying to kill me. Facing Cato isn't something I would ever like to do. I've seen him train since he was six. The Hunger Games is his life. His parents bread a monster trained to kill anyone in his way.

Everyone in the District knows Cato Brannet. I'm just unlucky enough to have to grow up across the street from him. All I ever hear is swearing and yelling from the Brannet house. In a way I feel sorry for him, but at the same time he is a jerk so I could care less.

"Clove!" Cato hisses from in front of me, "catch up will you?"

"That's what I'm trying to do," I grumble in annoyance, racing at top speed until I am beside him. "What?"

"You know what we have to do, right?" he whispers, obviously trying to keep the conversation private.

"Well I'm sure you're going to tell me," I say sarcastically.

He dismisses the sarcasm with a simple cold glare; enough to silence the defiance inside me. I can't deny the fact that he is intimidating.

"We have to eliminate the others," he whispers.

My mind spins.

"Already?" I ask, trying my hardest to keep the surprise at the statement out of my voice.

"The sooner the better. If we don't betray them first, they will betray us later. And we all know we are the obvious targets."

Maybe he has a point. Better them than us.

"Okay, when?" I whisper.

"Tonight."

Something about the way he said it, the sternness in his voice, maybe the calmness, it sends me straight in to panic mode.

"Tonight? You can't be serious?" I say, only noticing the loudness of my voice after the words come out.

"Will you shut up!" Cato hisses, sending me the evilest glare he could possibly muster, "it's happening tonight, or you can screw our alliance. I don't care."

_Threatening our alliance…really? You are going to blackmail me?_

"Fine," I say flatly, trying my hardest to keep the defeat out of my voice, "it just seems so…soon."

"Yeah too soon for them to expect it," he says, the annoyance in his voice clear. He turns his head away and picks up his pace, an obvious hint that our conversation was now finished.

I allow myself to slow my pace and let Cato speed ahead on his own. Keeping up with him is a wasted effort. He is always trying to show off, outshine everyone. He always has. I can still remember the look of anger on his face the day I showed him up in knife throwing. He was running laps around the district when he tripped just in front of my house. His shoe went flying off his foot in to the air. Without really thinking it through, I threw a knife, pinning the shoe to a near by tree. Normally anyone else would say a compliment at my skill, or at least acknowledge it. Not Cato. He told me to mind my own business and leave him alone. What a charmer. After that incident I saw him practicing knife throwing every once in a while; it made my day to see his pathetic attempts to match my skill. I _am_ the butcher's daughter; do you really think you can beat me with knives?

A shriek escapes my lungs as I plunge to the ground. My mind clears of the thoughts clouding it in time to see the dirt meet my face.

"Oh my gosh, Clove are you alright?!" someone shouts, running over.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I say, my cheeks burning in embarrassment as I turn to see Glimmer standing above me.

"That root get in your way?" her district-mate, Marvel smiles, coming to join her.

"Yeah, I guess so," I say, standing to my feet and brushing the dirt off my body.

"Here let me help you!" Glimmer says, extending her hand to me.

I grab a hold and she pulls me to my feet.

"I must have spaced out," I laugh in awkward embarrassment at the situation. Here I am supposed to be a strong and deadly career and I'm falling on my face in front of all of Panem.

"Well at least you're alright," Nikka from District 4 laughs.

We all start to run again, catching up to Cato, who never bothered to stop and wait.

_So much for "allies." He can't even help me get off the ground._

Then a scary thought crosses my mind, turning my blood to sheer ice.

The people helping me here are supposed to be dead by tomorrow and it will be by my hand.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Peeta's POV**

The sunlight gleams off of the blade of my blood encrusted knife. Just looking at it makes me want to vomit more than I already do. Everything is so…wrong. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. One rule change and any plan I had is now useless. I'm now stuck with these…killers while Katniss is off hiding somewhere. All I can do is pray that she is out of harm's way and it stays that way. The only reason I even joined these careers was to protect her. They want her dead. They don't say it out loud, but I can tell they are just itching to get their hands on her. And Nikka…I'm surprised she hasn't already sunk one of her deadly daggers in to my neck the way I did to her district-mate at the cornucopia. If I had just fled the bloodbath when Haymitch told me to, I could be looking for Katniss, not hunting for helpless tributes with the careers.

I wipe the sickening blood off my knife with my shirt tail as I run alongside Marvel from District 1. He seems the most normal of the five of them, but of course I can't befriend anyone. He has Glimmer on his side. My only true ally should be Katniss. Only my sweet Katniss. I wish she could at least know half of how I truly feel for her.

Marvel slows down a little bit, falling slightly behind me. I turn to see him joining Glimmer a few feet back. She starts to say something to him, but hesitates as she meets my eye, catching that I am suspicious. I turn away from them, paying attention to the people before me. Cato is far ahead, I can barely see him. Clove is farther up in her own world and Nikka is slightly before me. I had seen Cato and Clove talking earlier just as Marvel and Glimmer are now. It could only mean my time is getting limited with this group.

I catch Nikka looking back at District 1 curiously, seemingly mimicking my thoughts. A plan starts to form in my brain. Crazy, but at the same time it may be my final chance of escape and finding Katniss. I pick up my pace slightly, running until I am right beside Nikka.

"Hey," I say, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

"What..oh, uh hi Peeta," Nikka says, caught of guard.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine," she says suspiciously.

"Well that's good, I…"

"Okay cut to the chase," she says, cutting me off, "why so friendly?"

My mind strains to pick out the right words to state my proposal.

"What do you say about an alliance?" I ask, stunned by the seriousness of my voice.

She looks at me with a mixed look of shock and confusion. For a second I swear there was amusement mixed on it too.

"An alliance?" she muses, "now why would you want to be my ally when you still have your 'soul mate' hiding out in these woods somewhere?"

"Because if we don't ally we are both going to die."

The statement catches her off guard. She turns away from me for a moment, seemingly collecting her own thoughts.

"You know it's true," I urge. She couldn't have not noticed. We are the only two loners in this group against two pairs. Two against one isn't the best ratio for the "one" in the situation.

"Yeah obviously I know it's true," Nikka spits, "but why the heck would I choose you? What are we going to do, run away? Then you find your little girlfriend and it is goodbye Nikka. No way am I signing up for a stupid death wish, okay? So no."

_Ugh. The one thing I was hoping she wouldn't say._

"Neither of us will get out of this pack alone, Nikka. We will probably have to fight our way past whoever takes night shift…we have to help each other. We could get out and then figure out what to do after that. No funny business, I promise, you can trust me," I urge, restraining myself from sounding like I'm pleading.

We run in silence for what seems like eternity before she answers.

"When do you plan on doing this?"

I smile, knowing I could win.

"I was thinking sometime in the next few days."

"Next few days?" she asks, jerking her head backwards as a gesture towards Glimmer and Marvel, "looks to me like the others are already making their plans. I say we go tonight."

"Tonight?" the words roll off my tongue awkwardly. It seems so soon…but she has a point.

"Why do you have a problem with that?" she says, looking me straight in the eye.

"Not at all," I respond with a convincing smile, "we will go tonight then. Make sure to pack light."

"Fine by me. Pack then leave in the middle of the night. We just have to make sure we are on watch tonight."

I nod in agreement.

The trees start to disappear as the lake comes in to view, along with our camp. I sigh in relief at the sight of all the supplies. Food ,shelter, in a greedy way I don't want to leave it, especially tonight. But I finally convinced Nikka to join me and if she wants to go tonight, that's when we will go.

Nikka gives me a curt nod and runs ahead to catch up to District 2. My eyes wander back down to the knife in my hand. _If it weren't for me, she would still have her district-mate._

I quickly shake the disturbing thoughts from my head. All I can hope is that that incident won't have to happen again tonight.

**Peeta Mellarkk! (: Reviews? Who do you want to see soon? Who are you liking best so far? Press the button below and give me a shout out. (;**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Thresh's POV**

The sun burns down brightly on my skin, causing the trek to the lake to be all the more exhausting. I wipe the sweat from my brow as I climb the rocks on the edge of the drop-off, my new home. If it weren't for the recent rule change I could be relaxing back in my camp in the field behind me, but I need to find Rue. She's probably looking for me somewhere in the forest; I saw her run in there during the bloodbath at the cornucopia on the first day. If the careers didn't bother to follow me in to this field, I know she won't either. It's too dangerous; anyone can see that from the sinister vibe it seems to send off. On only the first day I had to beat down a poisonous snake. The field does have its benefits, though. I'm alone as far as I know. It's kind of depressing spending your days alone, but at the same time it helps me avoid conflict. And as soon as I find Rue I won't even have to worry about being by myself anymore.

As I reach the top edge of the drop-off, I crouch down among the jagged rocks and allow myself to slightly peer over the edge to the flat surface ahead, my spear from the cornucopia grasped tightly at hand. The land is wide open, with no cover except for maybe the cornucopia to my right, but running there undetected would be difficult considering how the careers are back at their camp by the lake to my left. I squint in to the sun, trying to make out the figures of the careers and size up about how many I would have to deal with. From what I can make out in the distance, there are six of them lounging around in their item-filled luxury camp.

_But that doesn't make sense…how are there six of them? Didn't one die?_

The question puzzled me, who had joined the careers? And why would you join them at this time in the Games? Sooner or later they will realize they must split to live. I'm happy I never joined them when they offered me the opportunity to.

I sigh loudly, partially out of confusion and partially because now that they are in camp my chances of running to the forest unseen is slim to none. Six to one is not a chance I am willing to take. Unfortunately, Rue is going to have to wait. I should have headed up here earlier.

I turn and sneak back down the jagged rock face, taking careful steps to avoid falling. As my feet land gently on the flat land, I look up to the top of the drop-off once more.

"Hang in there, kid," I whisper silently, although I know Rue is obviously too far away to hear.

_She's smart, Thresh, _I assure myself, _she can make it without you for now._

I just hope that I'm right. Rue is far too kind to win the Games on her own. Everyone knows it. She's not a killer…and she's too trusting. I avoided an alliance with her in the beginning so I wouldn't have to see her die…or kill her myself. But now that we can both win…I can save her. If she dies, all of District 11 will ache for her. She was the little girl who sang to the mockingjays in the field. I'm nothing more than another nameless worker in the fields. A nameless worker who promised his twin sister and grandmother he would stop at nothing to return home to them. Who promised that they wouldn't have to lose another family member like they did with our mother.

I trudge through the thick, tall grass, pushing it all out of the way as I keep my eyes on the ground before me. This field is probably loaded with even more dangers than I've already seen. Snakes are probably only a minor issue. Knowing the Gamemakers, they aren't going to want a stronger tribute like myself to be able to hide out alone without a problem to deal with.

I clutch my spear harder in my hand at the thought.

I continue to walk at a slow pace through the miles of grass towards my small camp. There isn't much of a hurry. I will have to make my way in to the woods tonight when the careers make their night rounds, or when they sleep. Either way is risky, but also the only ways.

The grass starts to thin out as I reach the small clearing that holds my camp. It isn't much: a small tarp attached to four sticks that make my "shelter", with a sleeping bag inside and a small fire pit before it.

I stride over to the shelter, ripping off my sweatshirt and backpack off my back and lying them inside. I open the pack and retrieve the water bottle inside as well as a juicy looking apple. I take tiny sips of water, making sure to preserve what I was given. I did well in the bloodbath, stealing what I could and running off before anyone could stop me, but I still haven't been able to find a water source. I've been living off the water that came in the bottle I found in the red pack I grabbed. It can only last so long before it runs dry.

I take a big bite of apple and lie down on the sleeping bag. The sun, although blocked by the tarp roof, is hot and energy-draining. My mind shuts down slowly as my eyelids become heavy with exhaustion.

_Maybe rest will be good,_ I assure myself,_ after all I will need it so I can have enough energy to find Rue tonight._

My mind wins as I fall quickly in to a much needed rest.

**Seems like everyone has plans for the night…what do you think? Miss, hit? Review! (:**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Nikka's POV**

"Pack lightly," Peeta whispers in my ear as he heads off to find firewood with Marvel.

I give him a curt nod and turn back to the pile of supplies I'm organizing with Glimmer and Clove.

"What was that about?" Clove asked suspiciously, trying to find out why Peeta and I have been talking so much lately.

"Oh, he told me to pull up my pants," I lie with a convincing laugh as I pretend to pull up my pants.

"Oh," Clove laughs, embarrassed for asking, "sorry."

"Whatever it's fine," I say and start to work again on organizing piles of weapons.

_The others are catching on quickly; I better avoid Peeta for awhile._

I wander the premises of the pile, picking up knives and throwing them in to a pile. I pick up a bronze handled knife with a sharp blade and slide it in to my sleeve before anyone notices, then continue to collect the rest of the knives. As I throw the last one in to the pile, Clove lets out a sigh.

"We did good didn't we?" she laughs, "I have to say I'm lovin' all these knives."

"Well I'm loving all this food!" Glimmer giggles as she piles up apples and crackers.

I nod in agreement. We did do a pretty great job during the bloodbath; got a mass of supplies, killed off plenty of tributes. The only negative part of the whole thing was Stone, my district-mate's death. The idiot got cocky and ended up with Peeta's knife through his chest. Peeta is lucky he is helping me, if he wasn't I would probably slice his throat before the end of the week. I hated Stone, but I also hate being put at a disadvantage in this Game.

"Well I just love how we are all working while Cato sits on his lazy butt," I say, loud enough for Cato, who is lying down a few feet away, to hear.

Clove sends me a quick warning look as if to tell me to watch what I say to Cato.

_Like I don't already know Cato is a freaking hothead,_ I snicker to myself, _too bad for him he is going to die tonight._

"Well I would just love if you would shut up," Cato growls, not even bothering to look up at me.

"I'll shut up as soon as you get that stick out of your butt," I say flatly, unable to hide the smile on my face. The audience must be eating this up.

Cato's face flushes bright red as he takes to his feet.

"Excuse me do you want to repeat that?" he says coldly, walking closer towards me.

A pang of fear floods my chest, but I quickly dismiss it.

"You heard me," I say as calmly as possible.

Cato growls and draws a dagger from his back pocket.

"Well maybe you should say it one more time, Nikka."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Clove shouts, jumping quickly to her feet, "now is not the time for pointless arguments! Calm down!"

"Oh back off Clove this isn't your business," Cato spits, fixating his eyes on mine. I desperately try to keep my gaze on his.

"Well I agree with her," Glimmer announces as she stands, "we are supposed to be allies here, okay? So both of you need to shut up and get over it."

A flood of comebacks play through my mind, but I control myself from saying any of them. They have a point: now is not the time for bloodshed, but later is. I roll my eyes, take a seat on the ground, and start to sort medical supplies. A grunt from the background signals that Cato too has dropped the argument. To my surprise, he takes a seat on the other side of the pile and starts to help sorting.

We sort supplies and set up camp for the next couple of hours. Peeta nonchalantly takes a seat besides me.

"I have a pack with two full water bottles and a week's worth of food as well as two knives. We leave as the others sleep, probably soon. We are 'hunting' during the night, right?"

"I think. But yeah, I'm packed too, so we're fine."

Almost on cue, Cato clears his throat.

"We should go search the woods…early today. If we hit um before the sun fully sets they will be caught off guard."

I look questionly to Peeta, but from the looks of it he is caught off guard just as much as I. Cato…the cocky wanna-be leader himself is planning against his own rules? Something must be up.

"That sounds good," Clove agrees, unsurprisingly. District 2 must be planning something. They want us to be back by nightfall…the perfect cover for a kill. I was planning on slitting their necks in the morning when we rest, but if they want to play it this way, so will I. Looks like Peeta and I will just have to beat them to the punch.

No one disagrees, or even bothers to. Arguing with Cato as we already all know is pointless. The six of us gather our packs and prepare to hunt for tributes. I send Peeta a sly smile as I realize how perfect everything is going. I can pack even more supplies and it won't even look suspicious! Nothing can go wrong. Tonight will be the night Cato falls.

We walk the woods for hours in search of prey, but the only blood I can picture spilling is that of my "allies." I can almost feel the anxiety of the Capitol, preparing themselves for what I hope will be the best betrayal bloodbath they ever witnessed. Time seems to slow, making me more and more impatient for our return to camp. I look to the sky; the sun falls slowly through the horizon, beckoning the dark of night to come.

"Maybe we should head back," I announce to the rest of my pack, "everyone is obviously hiding right now. We haven't heard a peep."

Cato turns his glare quickly on me, obviously angered that I am suggesting anything.

_Fine, hate me; just see what happens to you._

"I agree," Marvel says, to my surprise. He never talks much, let alone agrees with people like me. I give him a nod of approval.

"Yeah, it's getting dark Cato and we still haven't seen anything," Clove adds in, "let's go back."

We all stand in silence, waiting for a response. To my utter astonishment, Cato turns briskly and runs off in the direction of our camp.

"Well alright then," Peeta laughs and we all follow.

As the trees clear and the lake comes in to view, my heart skips a beat. This is really going to happen. I finally have a chance to prove myself as a threat.

The seal appears in the sky ahead as I approach camp, followed by the anthem. No deaths today…well, yet. I smile to myself as I lie on a sleeping bag by the pile.

"Clove and I will take first shift watch," Cato announces as everyone heads to their sleeping quarters by each other.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Peeta give me a cautious look. He is just as suspicious as I. For such a strong tribute, Cato is terrible at being sneaky. Something is obviously up.

"Nah go to sleep Cato, Clove and I can keep watch," I say, sitting upright.

"It's fine," he growls, sending me yet another glare, "we can do it."

"No, no…I insist. I mean, come on, you two look exhausted, and well, I'm perfectly awake."

He looks at me silently and I can see a hint of worry briefly cross his face before he replaces it with a cold stare.

Clove clears her throat.

"Nikka is right….I'm tired, I will go to sleep and you and Nikka can keep watch," Clove cuts in, and pats Cato on the back.

He looks at her sternly before nodding his head, "Fine."

Victory. I've won yet again. I fight the smile that threatens to cross my face as everyone lies down for sleep.

Seconds pass by…minutes. After about an hour of staring silently in the distance, I take a seat closer to Cato.

"Sorry about my attitude earlier," I say, trying to sound friendly. If I'm going to kill him I might as well put on a show for the audience before hand.

He grunts and turns away from me.

I roll my eyes and scan my "allies" as they sleep. Marvel's chest rises slowly under the sleeping bag. I watch him boredly as I wait for the right time. Then I look to Peeta. His chest rises and falls quicker than Marvel's, as he is awake. He isn't too bad of an actor…Cato hasn't been able to tell that Peeta is still up, waiting for me to start the bloodbath.

Lastly, I look to Clove. My blood runs cold as I realize that she too is acting strange. Her movements aren't calm like Marvel's, her chest is rising and falling almost as fast as Peeta's.

But…that must mean she's awa…

A scream escapes my throat as Cato's spear nestles itself inside my side. I fall to the ground in pain, my body shaking wildly as the dark, red blood seeps from the fresh wound. He…won…he beat me to the kill. My breathing starts to race as I clutch my side.

"No!" I scream, "no! It was supposed to be you!"

Tears stream down my face as defeat becomes clear. As the salt of a tear enters my lips, I allow myself to remain still. The world around me turns in to a mess of blurs and shouts. Sounds of battle arise from the dark. Metal beats metal, people cry out in agony.

I strain my eyes to let me witness the last scene of battle I will ever see. A high pitched scream signals that Glimmer has been wounded. Another scream shows that Clove, too has been injured. Through the blurs and tears I can make out Peeta's faint figure, running in the distance, Cato hot on his tail. I try to scream for him to look out, but all efforts fail. Cato throws his spear at Peeta's back, but Peeta evades it only to be hit in the arm. His cries are heard even from where I am, but he doesn't stop running. I blink rapidly, not wanting to leave yet. My breathing starts to shallow.

As my vision clears for good, the last thing I can see is Peeta's figure running to the woods, Cato giving up and running back towards our blood-filled camp.

_It was supposed to be me escaping, me killing. Cato was supposed to die, not me!_

I let out a final gasp before all life in me dissipates and I leave the Games unvictorious.

**The story's first death. Hit or miss? Tell me what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Marvel's POV**

Glimmer shrieks in pain as I drag her across the forest floor.

"Hang in there!" I cry, half to her and half to myself, "we will make it, I promise you. Just a little longer."

She whimpers in response as I continue to pull her bloody body farther in to safety. We barely escaped the attack from our so-called allies back at camp. Clove was able to slash Glimmer pretty successfully in the calf and shoulder before we were able to run. If I hadn't been able to hit Clove with my spear, Glimmer would already be dead, not that she isn't on her way already. I can see the end of Clove's knife lodged deeply in Glimmer's calf in the moonlight.

I drag the bloody girl a few more feet before stopping in a denser area of the forest lined with bushes.

"We can rest here for a while," I whisper exhaustedly. Only as my adrenaline dies down do I feel the sharp pain in my left thigh. I look down nervously at the source of the pain. My heart skips a beat as the moonlight dances off of my exposed leg, gushing crimson red. Cato. He had hit me on my way to the forest. I knew I was hit but I didn't realize how bad.

"You need to patch that," Glimmer whispers hoarsely from the ground as she follows my gaze.

"I will as soon as I'm done with you," I say grimly, kneeling beside the beautiful, injured girl.

I swing the pack I managed to salvage on the run over my shoulder and pull out the small first aid kit I had thrown together earlier today. I sigh in disappointment as I stare at its contents: four band-aids, two rolls of bandage-wrap, and a roll of water-proof tape.

"Great," I whisper, exasperated as I pull out the tape and a roll of bandage-wrap.

"Gonna stick some band-aids on this beauty?" Glimmer mumbles with a half-smile as she gestures to her crimson stained calf with the glimmering knife blade.

"Well I was thinking the bandage wrap would do better, but if you want the band-aids I think I could do that instead," I say, allowing myself a small and tired laugh.

"Mmm…I guess your plan might work better," she whispers.

I kneel beside her and survey what has to be done. The biggest problems are obviously her shoulder and calf, but she also has a few smaller cuts and bruises up and down her body.

"I think we should start with this shoulder of yours," I say, wanting desperately to avoid having to touch her calf.

She nods weakly and allows herself to shut her eyes as she lies down.

"Hey, hey you need to stay up, Glimmer," I say cautiously, "the last thing I need is for you to go unconscious."

"Ugh do I have to?"

"Yes. Now let me see those pretty green eyes of yours."

A small smile creeps across her face before her eyes flutter open again. I take it as a cue to start working. I open my pack once more and retrieve one of the two of my water bottles. I then rip off a flap of loose fabric from my pants where the gash from my thigh injury is located and start to clean Glimmer's wounds by pouring some water over her shoulder where the cut is located. As I dry the water from her shoulder I sigh in relief.

"It's not very deep," I whisper encouragingly, "you should heal up quickly."

"Good."

I nod in agreement as I bandage her shoulder and tape it in place.

"One roll down, one to go."

I take a deep breath as I inch down to her ankle. The moonlight provides enough light for me to see. The sight is gut-wrenching. I hold my breath in attempt to keep down my last meal. Clove wedged her knife in Glimmer's calf well. How am I supposed to do this?

"It's okay, just…just leave me. I can't be much help to you anyways," Glimmer whispers hoarsely, sensing my uneasiness.

Part of me wants to obey and leave her, but I know I can't just let her die, even if I barely know her. We are in this together now.

"No. It's fine. I'm cool," I say as assuringly as I can make my voice sound, "but this is going to hurt."

"Do your worst."

I clasp my hands around the knife blade. With one more deep breath I yank the knife from her calf with all my might. Glimmer lets out a terrible scream that almost puts tears in my eyes. The last thing I want to do is cause her pain.

"I'm sorry!" I say as I press the piece of my pants over her now extremely bloody wound. The blood seeps through quickly. I grab the knife I pulled from her calf and cut of the remains of my right pant leg. Pressing them strongly against Glimmer's leg, I whisper desperate remarks of encouragement as she lets out pained sobs in to the night air.

"Don't you leave me now Glimmer," I plead, "I need you whether you know it or not. Just hold on."

**Bum bum bummm….will she live? Welll…that is a surprise my friend. Reviews?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: Marco's POV**

High-pitched shrieks pierce the air as I curl in to a ball within a thick bramble of bushes, my crutch tucked beneath my trembling body. Whoever is screaming…seemingly a girl…is obviously in serious pain…maybe even dying. The thought of death sends a chill down my spine. A cannon fired not too long ago…was this girl with the other person who died? Is the killer somewhere looking for her and more victims? My mind swirls with worse-possible scenarios that could happen. My mom always tells me I'm too pessimistic, but I think it is more me being realistic. I mean, it's not like I can run away if someone finds me…at least not with this dead leg of mine. I don't have weapons either. If I am caught, I'm as good as dead.

The idea of giving up is more than appealing, but as soon as the thought crosses my mind, it is blocked with the more vibrant, encouraging thought of Karie. I promised her, my best friend, that even though I will probably die, I have to try my hardest to last as long as possible. The image burns in my mind, the way she hugged me goodbye, kissed my cheek and told me she loves me. The way she apologized that it was her fault I would go in to the Games as a cripple.

"It's not your fault," I whisper in the air, although I know Karie can not hear me. The cameras will be on the shrieking female in the distance, not the cripple who is in love with a girl he will never see again. A girl he never thought would feel the same as he did.

I let myself lie more comfortably on the ground, peering at the sky that is turning a slight pink as the sun rises above the horizon. Only then do I realize that the shrieks have momentarily subsided. I listen closely, anticipating a cannon to blast any second, but nothing happens. I sit up slowly, straining my ears to hear any signs of life within the forest. I jump in shock as another scream pierces the air, this one male. Whoever was screaming before isn't alone. My curiosity takes over as I crawl from the bushes, leaving my crutch where it lay in the bush.

I drag myself across the arena floor to a clump leafy plants a few feet ahead. Soft moans and cries come from ahead. I peer through the cracks in the leaves of the plant. Not far away I can see two figures, slightly visible in the rising morning sun. One, presumably the girl, lies motionless on the ground floor, seemingly dead besides the slight rise and fall of her chest. Her leg and arm are heavily bandaged. Above her sits a boy, clutching his left thigh tightly. I lean forward a little, trying to get a better view, when my hand meets a branch in front of me. My heart stops as a loud "snap!" pierces the air.

The boy figure's head snaps toward my direction. A moan comes from the girl.

"Who's there?" the boy says.

I don't dare say a word.

"If you came to finish us off, just do it already," his voice calls out again.

I sit in silence. Finish them off? Me? Funny joke. I can't even kill an animal, let alone an actual person.

I watch the two tributes in awe, hoping they will ignore me, when the boy stands to his feet.

"Well? What's it gonna be?"

He sounds exhausted and angry. I become frightened and helpless.

"Marvel…stop. It could be nothing, an animal. I need you. Stop," a hoarse, female voice chokes out from the ground.

The boy, Marvel, stops and turns towards his companion. To my relief, he sits besides her again, stroking her hair.

I don't waste another second before turning and crawling back to my original bush.

As soon as I crawl within the leaves of the bush, I collapse to the ground. My mind swirls with the recent encounter of tributes. The girl had called the boy Marvel. Marvel. The only District that would have a tribute with that name is 1. But that means…the careers must have split up…and now they are all injured.

The only thing I feel now is hope. That is…until the sound of footsteps nearing sends the hope back in to agony. I guess Marvel knows when someone is watching him.

**Chapter 10 for the boy from 10! What do you think of Marco? Who is your favorite character so far? Least favorite? Review!(:**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Keaton's POV**

**(District Three)**

I sit up with a jolt, a cold sweat running down my forehead. My eyes blink rapidly, adjusting to the light. Judging from the sun, I seemingly overslept. It appears to be about noon by now.

As the world comes in to focus, my heart rate starts to slow down to a normal pace. It seems that yet another danger in this arena is the nightmares that haunt me in my sleep. I wake up many times a night, only to return to the nightmare as soon as my eyes shut again to sleep. Tonight all I saw was red. Red everywhere, engulfing me, causing me to go mad. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't escape. The idea of being trapped petrifies me. I can't die here. I just can't. I need to live, to return to my family back in District 3.

I wipe the sweat from my face and remove my sweatshirt. Today is the day to find water. For the past couple days I have thrived on the blueberry bushes on the far left of the arena, where I settled within the brambles of the fruit bushes. But, berries can only go so long. I can't survive without drinking any water at all. If I plan on winning, I need to start looking for water soon.

A cannon blast in the distance sends every hair on my body bolt upright. Another one? I was already woken up once during the night from a previous cannon shot. Two deaths today and it's still early. All I can hope is that whoever died wasn't alone, but still had their district-mate. Why should I be one of the few at a disadvantage? For all I care the deaths should continue. I need to win this. I'm not strongest, so all I can rely on are the tempers of the other tributes and their stupidity. I already saw someone light a fire the night of the big rule change announcement. Honestly, it seems like my competition are nothing but a bunch of idiots and meatheads. While some have bronze, they definitely don't have the brains to match it.

I stand up, stretching my arms above my head and letting out a long yawn. Before heading out I munch on a handful of juicy berries and pick up my small plastic bag, the only thing I managed to salvage from the arena. Seems rather useless, but it will have to work as a container for storing water until I can get my hands on an actual water bottle.

I hadn't even tried to salvage much from the cornucopia on the first day, because my plan was to ally with the careers by the third day. Offer them my brain and ideas in exchange for a place at their camp, while making myself look good to the sponsors. What citizen of Panem wouldn't admire the scrawny kid from District 3 as he marched straight in to the career camp without a glance over his shoulder, demanding to join the career pack?

Of course that idea was shot the second Claudius Templesmith decided he would announce the new rule change. The rule change that basically screwed both me and my idea over. My district-mate, Seina died on the first day. It was pretty tragic, actually. I'm lucky we didn't really talk…if we had I would be scared after seeing the boy from two jab her in the gut with his blood-stained spear. He's vicious that one. I could only hope one of those two cannon blasts belonged to him. The chances of that happening are slim to none though. It's probably a weaker tribute, like the boy with the crutches or maybe the girl from 8.

I start on my journey at a brisk jog, my campsite at my back. The forest envelops me on every side. I scan my surroundings, searching for signs of the enemy, but hear nothing but birds. The trees continue to pass and my breathing intensifies. Running…I hate it.

I slow my pace and look around again. The only water source I've seen so far was on the first day; the lake back at the career camp, but that's obviously out of the picture. No way will I wander in to their camp at this stage in the Games. My plan is gone.

I stop dead in my tracks as usual as a rustling nearby arises. A small rabbit hops from the bushes and heads directly in front of me. My mouth salivates at the sight of the small creature. I want nothing more than to sink my teeth in to the sweet meat, to fill my stomach with something other than berries.

_Well what are you supposed to catch it with, Keaton?_ My mind teases, _a plastic bag and your bear hands?_

A deep sigh escapes my lips as the creature scurries away.

_But wait…_I think as my brain starts to fire up, _if that rabbit can live here…there must be water somewhere around here!_

A hopeful smile plays across my lips and I change my course, heading in the direction the rabbit had just come from.

The ground slightly turns from grass to dirt as I run. I head downhill, remembering what I learned not too long ago in school: water runs downhill. After about fifteen minutes I start to cramp up, sweat flowing from my forehead in the heat.

I pinch my side where the cramp comes from and continue on my journey. Before I know it the woods start to thin until I find myself standing in a good sized clearing. I take in a deep breath as my surroundings come in to view. Before me lies a marsh the size of District 3's town square teaming with life…and water.

I've never felt my feet carry me so fast. Before I know it I am kneeling by the side of the marsh. Not the cleanest water, but the dry burning in my throat convinces me to drink. As the marsh water trickles down my throat, a scary thought crosses my mind. Could this water be poisoned? I remember seeing a Hunger Games not too long ago where there were ponds full of poisonous water. A tribute who swallowed any of the treacherous water would die instantly.

My eyes widen at the thought, but my body knows it is too late, the water is already within my system. I sit in silence, bracing myself for the worst. A burning sensation, a sting, but nothing happens. After about a minute or two, I deem it safe and my face plummets back in to the cool water.

I take a refreshing, long sip and fill my pathetic plastic bag with water, zipping the top shut. At least it could come in handy for something. I stand to my feet and survey the marsh. I should probably stay nearby…but of course I also need some food and those berries worked great.

My stomach grumbles at the thought of food. It's about dinner time. Judging from the sky it is already almost night time. My best bet would to be to head back to my original campsite and gather as many berries as possible then head back here in the daylight and look for food.

My mind made up, I turn and run back in to the darkening forest, anticipation for the night's display of the deceased dancing within my bones.

**So, not the most action-packed chapter, but the next one has a lot in store (:**

**What do you think of Keaton so far?**

**Andd…in case no one picked it up because it was small, when Keaton said "I stop dead in my tracks as usual.." it is hinting that he is the one who Holly heard walk by her while she hid in a bush! (: Well….yeahhhhh. Hope you liked it!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: Rue's POV**

**(District 11)**

The sky darkens from above as I settle in to the top branches of a rather tall tree for the night. I still haven't had any sign of Thresh although I've looked for him constantly since the announcement of the new rule. With Thresh I might be able to win! And I won't be so alone in this arena. I kind of want someone to talk to, to be friends with. The hardest part of being in this arena is the loneliness that accompanies it.

I sit in silence, munching on an arrange of edible roots I salvaged from below, just watching the sky. I wonder who had died today. It's sad, thinking of how some tributes will never get to go home and see their families again. I want nothing more than to see mine. I wonder if they're watching me.

A moan from below catches my attention. I slowly peer over the edge of my branch to catch a glimpse of the source. To my surprise I see a dim shadow, small from the height I'm at, but still there. The shadow crashes to the ground with a grunt. Whoever it is…they must be hurt.

Without second thought I slowly climb closer to the ground. My steps are silent; being as small as I am is certainly an advantage when it comes to tree climbing. I climb down until I reach a branch about twenty feet from the ground with a perfect view of the injured tribute.

The moon gleams softly on the light skin of the person below. Relief floods in to my chest as I realize the person is not Thresh. Of course, there were still two deaths today. I clear the thought from my mind and keep my concentration on the boy below- judging from size he seems to be too large to be male. But not large enough to be the scary boy from District 2.

The boy shifts slightly in to a sitting position allowing me a glimpse of his hair, medium length and blonde. Almost instantly a light bulb flashes in my head. It's the boy from District 12, the one who claimed to be "in love" with his district-mate!

A queasy sensation engulfs my stomach. This boy seemed to be one of the nicer tributes, not a monster like some of the others. And yet here he is, dying. It's just not fair.

The boy's head snaps up to the sky quickly, causing me to startle.

_Does he see me?_

Only then do I hear the anthem sounding in the distance and I remember that the faces will be shown in the night sky. The faces of the dead.

The look on District 12's face makes me even more nervous than I already am. Pure shock and confusion seems glued there. Slowly I follow his gaze upward until I find myself staring in to the cold eyes of the girl from District 2. District 2?

Flashes from training play behind my eyelids. I may not be the strongest, but I'm probably one of the most observant. And I know for a fact that this girl was a contender. And yet, here she is looking down at me from the starry sky.

The boy from 12 takes a deep breath from below me. I know how he feels. The next face will reveal whether or not our district-mates are alive. Bracing myself for the worst, I look up to the next face, only to be as shocked as the first. It's the girl from District 4.

Two girls, both careers, both dead. It seems almost unreal. It seems like maybe there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel. The boy exhales loudly below followed by a strangled grunt. I take another look down. He seems fine besides the fact that he's cradling his right arm. I try to look at the source of the pain, but his position makes it impossible to see the actual damage going on.

_Rue, go back up the tree and go to bed,_ I demand myself. With a last glance I turn once again to climb back to my original position. My hand on a branch above, I heave myself up when the sound of a deep sob stops me yet again. The boy below is lying on the ground sobbing and holding on to his arm. My heart starts to race as I do the unthinkable. My mind screams no, but my body doesn't listen as I descend from the tree.

_What if he kills me? Is this it? Is this it?_

I land on the forest floor without a sound. The boy doesn't notice me. I could turn back, but I've already come so far. And besides, he just looks so sad lying there hurt by himself.

I clear my mind and speak up.

"Um…excuse me?" I whisper, to afraid to talk normally.

The boy turns slowly before his eyes rest on mine.

"Are you hurt?" I ask.

He nods slowly, obviously unsure of himself.

"Do-o you need some help?" I stammer, knowing this may be a very bad idea.

He nods again, with a questioning look in his eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you, you know," I say, braveness starting to show in my voice. I don't feel that this boy is much of a threat.

"What's your name," he says. I can tell from the strain in his voice that his injury must be pretty bad.

"Rue."

"Rue. Well that's a pretty name," he says, making me blush, "you're from District 11, right?"

I nod.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Rue, I'm Peeta."

"Peeta?"

"Yes. It's nice to finally talk to someone seemingly normal," he sighs, "but I'm not sure if you can help me."

The statement comes across as a challenge to me, an invitation maybe. I let go of any fear and step beside Peeta. Something tells me that I can trust him.

As I kneel next to him, he swings his arm in to view. I have to do all I can not to look away. His arm is bloody with pieces of flesh visibly hanging off.

"It's a beauty, huh?" he jokes, eyes focused on me intently, as if expecting me to run away.

"I can't really tell the extent of the injury…it's too bloody," I say. He looks at me in surprise, making me smile slightly to myself in spite of the fact that a bleeding boy is lying before me.

"Back in District 11 I saw a whole bunch of injuries. When you're in the sun all day people tend to get tired and not pay attention…they get hurt. Everyone knows something about healing there. I don't know a lot, I'm only twelve, but I know a little bit," I explain.

He nods, understanding.

"Well then fix me up!" he smiles.

The next few hours consist of more than just fixing. Luckily, Peeta had some supplies in a pack with him from the career camp- he had joined with them at the cornucopia. He told me it was hard to explain why he joined, but it was partly to save his own life as well as protect his district-mate, Katniss' life. It sounds like he really likes her. Yesterday District 2 decided to break up the career alliance. As Peeta ran to get away, the giant boy from 2, Cato, managed to hit his arm with his spear. "He got me at the last second. Luckily he was too tired to follow me in the woods."

We sit for a few hours as I patch up his arm, using some nearby healing herbs to clean it. We talk about our districts and families. It's funny but I feel like I've known Peeta for a long time. The way he talks, even in pain, is full of kindness. I don't feel threatened at all. Maybe he could help me find Thresh. Thresh is really nice too, I think they'd get along.

"So Rue," Peeta says, clearing his throat as I finish his arm. "How would you like to help me find Katniss? We could find you Thresh, too."

Thinking about it doesn't even cross my mind. I already know the answer.

"You mean like an alliance?" I say, a hint of joy in my voice. I won't have to be alone anymore.

"That's exactly what I mean," he smiles, sticking out his hand.

A smile crosses my lips as my hand meets his in a silent shake of agreement.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: Glimmer's POV**

**(District 1)**

Sunlight blinds my vision as I open my eyes. With a grunt I twist to the side to avoid the radiant beams.

"Well good morning sunshine," the familiar voice of Marvel sounds from above, "how ya feeling?"

He bends down beside me and fixes his eyes on mine, as if to make sure I tell him the truth.

"I have a giant gash in my leg, how do you think I feel?" I say, more bitter than planned. Almost as soon as the words leave my mouth do I regret them. Marvel has been nothing but caring for me over the past few days and here I am being rude to him. If I were him, I would probably let me die, but obviously I'm not him and, well, I'm grateful for that.

"Sorry," I mumble, the word seemingly strange to me. Not many people will hear Glimmer Renzing utter that particular word.

A faint smile crosses his face.

"Don't be. Just answer the question."

His bright brown eyes focus intently on mine. It sends a slight shiver down my spine.

"I'm feeling…well crappy but I guess less crappy than yesterday."

He nods seemingly with satisfaction, as if that was the answer he wanted.

"Good. That means you're feeling a little better. Now let me clean you up, ay?"

He reaches for the bandage on my shoulder first. This one fresh, changed yesterday using a roll of bandage wrap from my bag I grabbed back at the old career camp. The bag I packed is useful; I have food, a bottle of water, and a few medical supplies. But if I could go back in time, I would have left it. The small, blue backpack is the reason my calf burns as if a fire is raging within it. If I hadn't turned to get it, I probably would have avoided Clove's knife.

"It looks way better," Marvel encourages, bringing me back to reality, "shouldn't be much more of a problem."

"Yeah but I don't walk with my shoulder," I say gloomily, glancing down at the ragged mess of bandage and ripped fabric that is my left calf.

"Just be happy you're alive," Marvel says, trying his hardest to be encouraging, but failing to hide the worry in his voice as he stares down at the mess.

_I'm only alive because of you_, my mind says, but never verbalizes to him. It's true. If Marvel never managed to divert Clove's attention from me to him that night our career pack broke up, she would have surely killed me. Marvel had hit her with a spear and then proceeded to drag me from the war-like camp. He saved my life.

He moves down towards the injury, but never touches it. I watch his facial expressions intently. His normally calm and energetic expression is replaced with a look of sadness and I have a feeling it has nothing to do with me.

"What's wrong?" I question.

He looks up quickly as if he didn't realize that he was spacing out.

After a few moments Marvel plops down on the ground and buries his face in his hands.

A sense of worry envelops me. Something is obviously wrong with him. I've never really been the comforting type. I don't know what to do.

_Should I ask him what's going on? No…maybe he doesn't want to talk about it._

_Take his hand and tell him he'll be alright? No…that's dumb._

_Then what do I do?_

My mind argues back and forth until I make up my mind: don't do anything.

After what seems like an eternity he looks up at me.

"I killed her, you know."

The sentence itself catches me off guard. Marvel killed someone? When? He went in the woods the other day after we heard the twig snap, but he told me he didn't find anything. The confusion I feel must be expressed on my face because he speaks up again.

"Clove. Her face was shown in the sky last night after you fell asleep."

I feel my mouth drop slightly. I don't even bother to stop it.

_That's right, I fell asleep before the faces were shown!_ I mentally slap myself, feeling stupid. How could I miss that? And Clove? I never would have thought that she would be one of the first to go.

I can't say anything. Yet another rarity of mine.

"I just…I never thought it would be this…oh I don't know. Painful." He whispered, stifling a sob.

"What? The Games?" I ask, feeling stupid after the words are verbalized. Somehow this boy brings out the less confident and bad spoken side of me.

He looks at me and I can see tears forming in his eyes. "No. I knew the Games would be hard… I'm talking about killing."

Killing. I never thought I would hear Marvel say he couldn't kill. No, I never thought he would actually _say_ that he couldn't kill. Marvel is always so sure of himself, or at least seems it. And yet here he is, crying about ending the life of another. _I_ wouldn't cry. At least I don't think so.

"Marvel…" I start, trying to pick the correct words to say in attempt of comforting. For some reason I just can't watch him be upset. He's so different from anyone I know.

"Nikka died too," he interrupts, changing the subject.

_Well I saw that one coming,_ would probably be my response, but something tells me it isn't appropriate for the moment.

"Hey," I say, moving close to him, "I know it might be hard…no scratch that, it _is_ hard, but you did what had to be done. And yeah that sounds terrible but in the end you…saved me. And…"

_Say it._

_Come on Glimmer he saved your life. Now say it._

"For that I want to thank you," I manage, almost blown back by how out of character I've been around him.

He looks at me as if I was the one who saved _his_ life.

"Any time," he laughs slightly and wipes his face, "now let's patch up that leg now, huh?"

I nod in awe of how quickly he came back.

_He is way too nice to be a career. Why did he volunteer?_

Something tells me it's not the time to ask.

Marvel removes the bandage from my calf for the first time since he patched it before.

"Too bloody to un-due anything," he had said for the past few days.

I brace myself for what is to come and yet I can't help but feel agony as I look at his face. Marvel isn't good at hiding his emotions and I can tell something is obviously wrong.

**And now we've heard from every character! Next chapter we can re-visit everyone.(:**

**What do you think of this chapter? I'd love if you would review and tell me what you think! I'm working on the next one and will hopefully have it up soon.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Holly "Foxface's" POV**

**(District Five)**

Hysteria. Mass hysteria. Or at least it was, judging from the sights of the career camp. Something bad obviously happened here. Did everyone turn on each other? Probably, seeing as how there are two dead careers and their camp looks like a group of elephants had a party.

I sweep the red strands of hair from my sweaty forehead. Somehow I need to find a way in to the camp. It shouldn't be too hard, after all there's only one person sitting in the disheveled mess of the camp. But that one person just so happens to be the deadliest person in the Games. Deadliest and most armed. I have nothing but a small knife I managed to salvage from the knife. Even the dumbest of tributes would know that busting in to the camp with the District 2 boy sitting there is like suicide.

I rack my brain for ideas. This thing should be easy for me. Planning is my specialty, and yet, I have nothing. I can't continue living if I don't replenish my food and water supplies. I haven't even bothered to look for an alternative from the camp.

Desperation settles in my bones. If I plan on surviving, I'm going to have to wander in to the woods to find some food and water. I will have to leave the safety of my own camp and enter the danger of a forest full of blood-thirsty tributes.

The idea of facing off against another tribute is less than unsatisfactory, but I know that if I don't find food soon I will starve. The District 2 boy has no reason to leave his camp unattended yet. Playing the waiting game is useless.

My mind made up, I buckle the small, waist pack around my middle and reluctantly head off in to the woods.

The sun shines bright, illuminating the way through the shadowy trees. I decide to head straight and see where I end up. I carefully clutch my knife at my side, anticipating any attacks. My eyes take turns scanning the trees above as well as the areas to my left, right, front, and back. I strain my ears to hear steps, or maybe even voices, but the only voices I can make out are those from the musical mockingjays up above my head.

Fear starts to decay with every step I take. I allow myself to relax, but I still stay alert and ready.

The sun beats down on my neck. The heat starts to crack my concentration. I reach quickly over my head and remove my sweatshirt as I walk. As the fabric covers my face, my left foot catches a rock. I tumble helplessly to the ground, ending with a face full of dirt. My knife flies to the right. I cuss under my breath silently and rip off the sweatshirt. As soon as the clothing leaves my vision, I catch my breath.

To my right lies a bush bursting with life…and berries. But the berries aren't my main concern. The only thing I see are the feet standing right above me. And the hand that now clutches my knife.

**Reviews are a fanfiction author's life(:**


	15. Chapter 15

**Because the last chapter was so short, I typed this one up nice and fast for all of you(: Enjoy!**

**Chapter Fifteen: Keaton's POV**

**(District Three)**

Her green eyes are locked soundlessly on mine. Her face shows no expression, but the fear is clear from her deep breathing. I clutch her knife so tightly my knuckles turn white.

"What are you doing here?" I demand, trying my hardest to hide my concern. Something about the way she looks at me is intimidating. It's as if she's daring me to kill her behind that sly, fox-like, face of hers. I wouldn't have even heard her approaching if it weren't for the fall that left her sprawled out defenseless and helpless on the ground before me.

"I was looking for food," she replies calmly, jutting her head towards my blueberry bush.

"Food?" I ask suspiciously, "how could you have lived this long without any?"

Her sly grin crosses her lips.

"I have my ways."

She doesn't trust me. Understandable.

"Surprise me," I challenge.

The girl, who I recognize to be from District 5, studies me in silence.

"The career camp."

The three words catch me off guard.

"You're with them?"

A laugh escapes the fox-girl's lips.

"With them? No way. Looted them is more like it. That is, until they turned on each other. Now that crazy District 2 boy just sits in the remains of the camp all day, making it impossible to break in to."

Looted? I stare blankly at the girl. Her slim figure and long legs hint that she is fast, and she certainly seems smart enough.

_Maybe she really did do it…wait…did she say?_

"You said the District 2 boy is alone in the camp? And he has all the supplies?" my mind swirls instantly with ideas, plots, formulas. Taking over the career camp wouldn't only mean instant sponsors, but endless supplies. The idea is enough to send my adrenaline pumping.

"That's what I said," she replies, but a knowing look crosses her face, "but don't expect to just burst in there alone. He's at least twice, maybe three times your size, and heavily armed. Not to mention he's a hot head. The guy would snap your neck in a single move."

This time, it's my turn to smile.

"I wasn't expecting to go alone."

She looks at me quizzically until fear quickly flashes in her eyes. I know she understands, but still she plays clueless.

"Please tell me you have an ally hiding somewhere because I know you're not talking about me."

I let out a short laugh and stick out my hand to help her on her feet. My hand still cautiously clutches her knife.

"Well I don't see any hidden ally, so I'm assuming I'm talking about you."

She ignores my hand and gets up herself.

"Screw that, I'm not looking to die this early," she says matter-of-factly.

I'm caught off guard. My words jumble. Somehow I need her on my side. She's obviously faster than me and she knows the area. I can't possibly get there alone.

"But you would have more than enough food and water, weapons too," I say, in attempt to bribe her in to the mission.

"No. Give me my knife. I'm leaving. I'll go find my own food."

Anger rushes through my veins. I want to reach out and slap the girl. The thought of killing her plays in my mind. She's unarmed. I have her knife.

A coldness settles in my mind. The blood in my hand drains from the tight hold on the knife. She has her back to me. I raise the knife slightly.

The fox girl whips around. I drop the knife to my side as quickly as possible.

Her eyes show hardness. She knows what I was about to do.

"How can I trust you?" she asks.

The question is simple, logical, but I don't know the answer. I just tried to kill her, she knows it. Why would she trust me?

"You don't have to," my mouth speaks for itself. Without even thinking the words come tumbling out, "we don't even need to fight the District 2 boy. Cato, I think his name was." Cato, that seems right. I made an attempt to learn all of the careers' names, seeing as how I had planned to ally with them. The wheels start turning in my head. The girl looks at me in confusion, almost as if I had three heads.

"So what you're saying is…"

"We create a distraction. He leaves, we run in, steal as many supplies as we can hold, run out. Maybe try to hit him with a spear or something on the way out. I'd have to see the area to get a better idea."

The red-head is silent, her face un-readable. She doesn't speak up for minutes, causing me to worry. The thought of killing her crosses my mind again.

"If you need to see the area, I'll take you there."

I try my hardest to hide the smile my mouth wants desperately to form. I've won this battle. Now all I have to do is win the Games.

"What's your name?" she asks, "I can't…work with you if I don't know it."

I make a mental note on how she avoided using the word "ally."

"Keaton," I reply, "and yours?"

"Holly."

"Well, Holly. Grab some berries, we're going to need the energy when we take the Career camp."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Derri's Point of View**

**(District 8)**

My stomach growls angrily as the sunlight glares in my eyes_. I'm going to die in this arena!_ My mind shouts at me continually, never ceasing to stop. I peer through the thick leaves of the tree I'm settled in as the District 2 boy bustles around his lonesome camp.

Something happened there, it's obvious. Boxes are strewn about, food smashed and inedible, and dried blood is settled on blankets and used-to-be green grass. It's a gruesome sight, but the District 2 boy fits in perfectly.

He picks up a bag of chips and my heart stops momentarily. I would kill for just one chip out of that bag. Kill. But in all realism, I could never take on that boy. He's too strong, too powerful. He'd kill me with a flick of the wrist.

Saliva gathers in my empty mouth to the point that I have to turn away. My mind drifts in to the sort of empty state only hunger can bring about. I have nothing. No food, weapons, water, clothes. Nothing. I've been stuck in trees, dying slowly as all of Panem watches. As Nevon watches. Nevon. I feel pity for him each time his name crosses my mind. He loves me and now all he can do is watch as I die slowly. Hatred flashes across my mind for my District-mate, Goss. It makes me sick. I am feeling hatred for the dead. _The dead._ It's just hard to be alone. To die alone and hungry. But I feel as if I can't take any more chances. Not since I almost died that first night by the hands of the boy who is less than 200 feet away from me in a camp of weapons and food. If only…

A sharp scream pierces my thoughts. It's high-pitched. Clearly female. My attention turns to District 2. He is standing, a mace and spear in each of his hands. Even from a distance I can see the wildness in his eyes. The want for blood. He looks around the area, searching for movement, anything. My breath catches in my throat. My body turns to ice as he moves towards me. Towards the scream. Towards a possible kill.

He rockets below my tree, breathing heavily. I can smell the stink of rotten food and blood as he passes beneath me.

But he is forgotten after a new flash of color crosses my vision. The figure is small, dressed similar to me, but seemingly male. He rushes in to the camp, pausing only briefly to glance at the bloodstains before picking up a few weapons, water bottles, and pocketful's of food. My stomach growls enviously.

The boy, who I can't recognize, runs back to the woods on my left without pause. Almost instantly do I hear footsteps from underneath me. The District 2 boy swears as he passes my tree. A cannon didn't sound. He didn't find what he wanted. I glance towards my left and catch the thief finding refuge in the trees just in time.

District 2 makes his way back to his camp. It doesn't take long before he notices that something is off. A horrible scream comes out of his lungs, catching me off guard.

"What the hell!" he screams so loudly I can hear. His eyes dart around violently but he doesn't move. To my amazement he sits down, clutching a deadly looking spear in his right hand.

_He doesn't want to leave!_ I realize, _he doesn't want the thief to return and steal more. He's stuck._

The realization leaves me in awe. The thief just trapped District 2. He won't leave camp.

My stomach growls again, violently. It makes me nauseous, wanting to puke although my stomach is empty. _You're going to die, Derri._ My mind threatens.

An insane thought crosses my mind. I don't think I act. I climb down the tree, and tip toe through the forest with only one goal in mind: find that thief.


End file.
